The significant increase in the problem of hunchback in infants has caused many worrying consequences. Recognizing the signs of this disease in infants will help parents intervene promptly, thereby preventing and protecting their children from this disease.

In recent years, the problem of hunchback in infants has become a topic of concern in the medical and family communities. The uneven development of society along with improper child care habits have sometimes created this condition. This raises questions about the causes, signs and ways to prevent it to protect the health of young children. Let’s explore this disease in more depth in the article below.

Causes of hunchback in infants

Hunchback in infants is a complex phenomenon, often caused by cartilage dysplasia of the vertebrae and discs in the thoracic spine, causing damage from the 7th to 11th thoracic vertebrae.

Causes of this condition may include improper child care habits such as holding the baby in the wrong position, hugging the baby too much, letting the baby sit and walk too early, and using a hammock regularly without a mattress underneath. Another cause may be due to abnormal pressure from the uterus’s muscles pushing the fetus during development, affecting the fetus’s spine, causing it to lie in an abnormal position in the uterus. With the newborn’s spine still immature and weak, small but repeated impacts over a long period of time can cause spinal deformities.

To protect the baby’s health and figure, parents need to avoid improper child care habits as mentioned.

Care habits that can cause hunchback in newborns

Signs of a hunchback in a newborn

Here are some signs that a newborn has a hunchback that parents need to recognize in order to treat it promptly:

The child’s posture changes

The signs of a hunchback in a child at a normal level are usually quite easy to recognize. For example, the back may be more prominent, especially the upper part of the back compared to the lower part. When the child bends over, the back may appear higher than the head. The child’s shoulders are often more forward. By observing, you can easily notice abnormalities in the child’s back and shoulders.

Changes in the child’s behavior and reactions

At a mild level of hunchback, it is often difficult to recognize. However, if you observe carefully, parents will see that when sitting or standing, the child often bends his head forward. The back may protrude backward and the chest is pushed forward, creating a shape called “chicken chest”.

Along with the above signs are symptoms of pain and fatigue in the lumbar spine area. Initially, the pain usually starts in the back and spreads to the cervical spine, often becoming more severe in the afternoon than in the morning.

Observing the child’s behavior and reactions can reveal signs of hunchback.

If parents do not detect it in time, the hunchback condition can become more severe, causing the child to suffer from constant pain. In particular, the child may have difficulty learning or performing activities beyond his or her capacity, manifested through a feeling of shortness of breath and chest tightness.

A more serious risk is that severe hunchback can leave many negative effects, causing problems such as nearsightedness, heart rhythm disorders, breathing or making the child’s gait stiff and inflexible. This condition can make the child feel self-conscious and have difficulty integrating into society.

Harmful effects of hunchback in infants

If not detected in time, infants with hunchback are susceptible to the following diseases:

Affects bone development

Children with hunchback often face fatigue and pain from the spine, affecting their physical strength and ability to develop normally compared to their peers.

The child’s respiratory system is at risk of disorder, affecting respiratory function. The blood circulation system is also affected when the spine is curved, causing pressure on the heart and lungs.

Therefore, symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath and pain in the spine often appear in children, along with many other effects on future health. In particular, the digestive system can also have problems, causing malnutrition in children.

Mobility and activities are affected

Humpback deformity in children will cause serious effects on daily activities due to poor development of the back muscles and joints. Usually, children will have difficulty performing light to complex motor activities including walking, standing and sitting.

A child’s mobility and activity are affected if he or she has a hunchback.

Impact on children’s health and appearance

For children, the mental impact of hunchback is very large. The deformation of the body makes them different from their peers, causing a feeling of inferiority about their appearance and negatively affecting their mood later on.

Not only does it affect their psychology, but their learning is also severely affected. They have difficulty absorbing knowledge, so their vision and nervous system are not properly developed.

Research by doctors has shown that children with hunchback often have limited bone development, causing imbalance and limited height. All of these can create challenges in their lives as they grow up.

How to treat hunchback in children

When detecting signs of hunchback in children like this, mothers should take their children to specialized orthopedic hospitals for the best advice and treatment for their children.

In mild cases, mothers can apply natural methods to treat hunchback in infants. For example, practice letting the baby sleep on his back on a mat or rubber mattress, with his arms and legs straight to reduce pain caused by hunchback. The way to hold the baby each month also needs to be adjusted according to the baby’s development. Using a thin pillow lower than the head, from the neck down to the shoulders and across the baby’s back is also a useful measure, helping to gently stretch the cervical vertebrae and the baby’s chest, thereby improving the hunchback condition.

When the baby starts to walk, the mother should guide the baby to walk with the head facing straight, the chest forward, the back kept straight, not hunched over and the shoulders balanced, so that the baby has a natural gait and prevents hunchback.

Let your baby lie on his back on a mattress or rubber mat to reduce hunchback.

In addition, parents should also supplement adequate nutrients, fruits, seafood, green vegetables to provide enough vitamin D, calcium, zinc for children, and drink 500ml of milk every day to support bone development and treat hunchback in infants.

Limit letting children lie in hammocks for too long, you can use a stroller for newborns instead of having to carry the baby continuously.

In more severe cases, the doctor may recommend wearing an anti-humpback belt for the child, or even performing spinal surgery to treat hunchback.

In the process of caring for a newborn, paying attention to the child’s development and health is extremely important. Hunchback in newborns is not only a problem of appearance but also has negative impacts on the child’s health and development in the future. However, with timely recognition and appropriate treatment, parents can help their children overcome this problem and grow up healthy.